Musa, who claimed to be a generator repairer, said he joined the robbery gang to raise money for his tools.

He said: “It was poverty that drove me into robbery. I am poor and need money to buy tools for work. “Michael, who is on the run, gave us the guns we used. This is my first time. The plan was to snatch gold chains from people at Shasha. We planned to sell them to Mallams and everyone would collect their share.”

Oluwole, the gang’s motorcyclist, said he got N10,000 the first time he followed the gang.

He said: “My role was to ride the motorcycle. The first time I went with them, they paid me N10,000. This time round, Michael asked me to go to his father’s bathroom in their family house. He described a hole in which I would find the guns, which I gave to Ahmed. I was to be paid N20,000. I followed them because I needed to cater for my wife and child.”